The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 2 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning p
Plato · en
Earth herself, therefore, being a divine animal, is also a plenitude
of intellectual and psychical essences, and of immaterial powers. For
if a partial soul has besides a material body an immaterial vehicle,
what ought we to think of a soul so divine as that of the earth? Is
it not, that by a much greater priority visible bodies are suspended
from this soul through other vehicles as media, and that through these,
the visible bodies are able to receive the illuminations of soul?
Such then being the nature of earth herself, she is said to be our
nurse; in the first place, indeed, as possessing a power in a certain
respect equivalent to Heaven. For as that comprehends in itself divine
animals, thus also earth is seen to contain terrestrial animals. But
in the second place, she is our nurse, as inspiring our lives from
her own proper life. For she not only produces fruits, and nourishes
our bodies through these, but she also fills our souls with the
illuminations of herself. For being a divine animal, and generating
us who are partial animals, through her own body indeed she nourishes
and connectedly-contains our bulk; but from her own soul perfects
ours. By her own intellect, likewise, she excites the intellect
which is in us; and thus according to the whole of herself becomes
the nurse of our whole composition. On this account it appears to me
that Plato calls her our nurse, indicating by this her intellectual
nutritive energy. For if she is our nurse, but we are truly souls and
intellects, according to these especially, she will be the perfector
of our essence, moving and exciting our intellectual part. But being
a divine animal, and comprehending in herself many partial animals,
she is said by Plato to be conglobed about the pole which is extended
through the universe; because she is contained and compressed about
its axis. For the axis also is the pole. And the pole is thus now
denominated, because the universe revolves about it. Because, however,
the pole [properly so called] is impartible, but the axis is a pole
with interval, just as if some one should say that a line is a flowing
point,--on this account, the pole is said by Plato to be extended
through the universe, as entirely pervading through the centre of the
earth.